Education

On an IEP team, you are the person who will consistently advocate for your child with a long-term plan in mind but IEP’s are written one year at a time and other team members change year to year. Join the Parent Alliance’s IEP Bootcamp where you’ll learn how to look at each piece of the IEP individually. You’ll gather information about how your child’s challenges affect their whole life, especially their mental wellness, and consider how their goals are working outside of the classroom. Remember, you’re an expert in your child!

Written by PA's Education Law Center this guide to special education services in PA tells you everything you need to know about getting and managing special education services in simple and easy to understand language.

Do you know how many days a school has to complete an evaluation? Or agree to an evaluation? Here's the list of timelines all schools in PA must follow.

Here is an excellent video series that provides a step by step guide to the entire IEP process. Each video ranging between 4 and 12 minutes can be watched on its own to help you prepare for a meeting or the entire series can be watched at once so you know what to expect.

Here's some basic information about IEP's and 504 plans to help you understand the differences of each.

Can your child qualify for special education services because they have an emotional disturbance? This 3-minute video gives you the information you need to answer that question.

F.A.T. stands for Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension — and that's exactly what the participant’s experience. This workshop and video provide teachers, parents, caregivers, and siblings with the opportunity actually to experience the emotions and stresses that children with learning disabilities face daily. By using simulations and contrived activities as models (for example, telling a story without using any words that contain the letter N), the participants temporarily experience the frustration, anxiety, and tension that is the lifestyle of students with special needs. This video may be older but the information it contains is invaluable and very relevant today.

School attendance can be challenging when raising a child with social, emotional, behavioral or mental health challenges. Learn about your protections under the law and find some strategies should you need help from your child's school.

Parents often underestimate the importance of evaluations but this can be a big mistake. This 6-minute video explains how you can make sure you understand what tests are being suggested and how you can make sure your concerns are addressed.

This 45 minute video discusses in clear and easy to understand language what families need to know about mental health and special education services. Can your child qualify for an IEP? What's the difference between an IEP and 504 plan and so much more! *This video discusses educational rights for children in psychiatric hospitals and RTF's.

School attendance can be challenging when raising a child with social, emotional, behavioral or mental health challenges. Learn about your protections under the law and find some strategies should you need help from your child's school.

This 5 part series of video's between 4 and12 minutes takes you through the entire IEP process. Easy to understand guidance for families addresses topics like who is on an IEP team (chapter 2), what's included in the IEP (chapter 3), getting ready for your IEP meeting (chapter 4), and the IEP meeting itself (chapter 5).